New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-04
NEw-YoRK DAILY TRIBUNE, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1871

I were used, might eventually be gathered . com-
| prehensive system of Indian settlement and Chris
tianization. Its founder was man who deserved
every honor and consideration. He had. by tine e1-
ercise Of most rare judgment and SKILL aooom-
plished remarkable and noble work iet inc
Church, whose special function IT'S 70 Ios'ei anu
| assist all such enterprises, which ought 10 nave
sunnorted Mr.. Duncan at every point, which was
under obligations Of the most sacred ana oindins
| character to help hlm-this Church Is the first to
| ;n,erfere mischievously and fOOishly with MS
| acbjevemepts the first to try TO destroy
| his usefulness. the first to suppiant nun
with an incapable, unsympathetic. altogether Ill
chosen successor The State. too, which had every
| thing to gain from the success OF the Metia-
kahtlah experiment, which was bound from every
social and political consideration to deal justly Win
the Tsimsheans-the State comes to the support OF
the Church and singles out the one elevated ana
civilized tribe of British Columbia Indians as the
victims of au outrage which no white men IN the
world would have submitted to. Fortunately TOT
the Church and the Government MI. Duncahs in-
huence over the Tsimsheans, and the efect OF h'S
teachings, have held them check until now
But with the avowed purpose OF their conscience
less Government to take their land from them with
out com pensation with the avowed purpose OF
the degenerate Church of England to force upon
them Bishop whom they detest, and who Is clearly
utterly useless for any evangelical ends. the poor
Indians find themselves at the end of their tether.
Their final recourse is rather ptifu. 1hev NV
from one prosecutor to another. In WORD they
seek permission to setteupon American land In the
Territory of Alaska. No doubt they viii be al
lowed to change masters aud tyrants, though IL Is
unhappIly not possible to look forward with mucn
confidence to their future under the stars and
stripes Perhaps Alaska is safer than any other
part of the country, being less Attractive 10
land hunters but some day, unless our pollcy is
radically changed white men will covet the hold
ings of the Indians and they will have TO move on.
The only protection that can be afforded them ana
all other Indians is to extend TO them the rights
and impose on them the Obligations of citizenship
The story of Motlakahtah is one which. told no
matter how badly, must arouse the interest ana
sympathy of the reader. 1t must, however, be saiu
that it could hardly have been told worse than MI
Welcome has told it. This gentleman has an as
touishing fondness for the comma, and he lavishes
IL in the most absurd way. Every sentence is lit
erally peppered with commas There are in the
volume at n moderate calculation. five times as
MANY as there should be- The e1bct is to break up
the text into arbitrary and wholly ungrammaticai
fragments aud to render 1t very difficult TO get The
authors meaning. This Is a pity, for the story
really deserves to be narrated by some one who can
write English. Despite the drawback mentioned.
the book should however, be read generally. for 1t
is only bv study of this and similar cases that pub
lie opinion can be converted INTO public conscience,
and one of the abuses of the time and he re-
proaches of modern civilization be removed.